I actually think heart rates are important, especially if you intend to make a cardio-exercise a part of your life. A general guideline ought to be your age (33?) subtracted from 220, to get your approximate maximum heart rate. This would put that at 187. Then look at it in multiples of 10, so your approximate levels would be:
Max- 187
90%- 168
80%- 149
70%- 130
etc, etc, etc.... this is a pretty good place to start heart-rate oriented cardio work.
What you will find is that this is approximate because first off, we are all different, and second, your max will increase as your level of cardio fitness improves. If you have a heart rate monitor you can try testing yourself to find your current max by throwing a short, no-holds-barred effort out there and seeing where your heart rate hits. The first time I did this I threw myself at the biggest hill I could find in my area and didn't look at my monitor until I simply could push myself no more. I learned my max was about 7 beats higher than the approximate formula gives me, but it has also changed upward since then. For pure fat loss from cardio most experts and coaches have told me to stick to 70 and 80% rides of no less then an hour and a half (I'm a cyclist) and longer if I can. Also, I've always been told your resting heart rate is only a sign of either your level of fitness or, in rarer cases, the size of your heart. I know runners, cyclists, etc, have bragging rights on who has the lowest resting heart rate. Hope that info helps you with your efforts
Also, on the subject of no sweating, I completely get what you have said because never in my life had I previously sweated. In fact, even as a child on hot days I was prone to something approaching a heat stroke instead of sweating. When I got into cycling this limited me incredibly, living in the south as I do, and I despaired of ever being able to do the long summer rides with all my friends. Then I read an article in a British publication I subscribe to that specifically dealt with this problem because that is what it is when your body cannot cool itself as a normal system which includes sweat would do. This article strongly recommended several weeks (12, if I recall) of cardio work, at as close as one could maintain to 70% of max heart rate. If I remember correctly, it specifically mentioned blood volume, too.
I gave it a try, all last winter. I only did flat, predictable, boring rides of length but never more than 74-5% of max and never less than 68%. When summer came around, sure enough, voila! I sweat! I do all the time now when I ride, and I am here to tell you that for some reason I am the only one that appreciates this, LOLOLOL!
Best of Luck to you-
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